Once Upon A Time
by Chezza
Summary: By CeCeSmith. Once upon a time, millions of light years away in the galaxy of Ida...
1. Story Info and Disclaimer

**Title:** Once Upon A Time 

**Author: **CeCeSmith

**E-mail:** cecesmith (at) hotmail (dot) com

**Category: **Humour

**Rating:** PG

**Pairing: **S/J UST/Friendship

**Season:** Eight

**Spoilers: **None

**Characters:** Jack O'Neill, Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson

**Warnings: **Fluff!Alert

**Teaser:** Once upon a time, millions of light years away in the galaxy of Ida...

**Archive: **Chezza's Gate, Helio, Fanfiction (dot) net, , anyone else - please ask.  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions---wish I could have just an itty-bitty piece, but am forced to be satisfied as a spectator.

**Author's Notes:** This fic is the result of an LJ entry, followed by Chezza writing the opening paragraph as a joke reply, which Sarah then threatened to use in a future fic. Chezza, being Chezza, then dared Sarah to do so and voila! A fic was born.

Beta-read by Chezza.

**© CeCe Smith, Dec 2004**

o0o


	2. Once Upon A Time

o0o

_Once upon a time, millions of light years away in the galaxy of Ida..._

_The sonic boom was so loud that all the hundreds of tiny grey Asgard on their new home planet of Orilla looked up in shock. Aboard the 'Daniel Jackson' the shock-wave registered on the ship's sensors and within moments the ship's commander was receiving a frantic message from Penegal of the High Council on the planet's surface._

_"Thor you must make haste to the Milky Way galaxy immediately! The shock-wave appears to have originated in the vicinity of Earth!"_

o0o

Back on Earth, in Sam Carter's lab, General Jack O'Neill stood stock still as the wave of energy passed through his body.

Finally regaining a measure of composure, he asked curiously, "Uh, Carter, what was that?"

"Sir!" Sam spun around on her heel, removing her hand from the Ancient device that she had apparently just activated.

"You didn't just touch that thing, did you?" Jack asked, hoping the answer was no, so that he wouldn't have to explain the ramifications of what may have just occurred.

"Uh, yes sir, I did. Is that a problem? The energy readings are showing back to normal and the systems show no damage from the blast wave."

Sam couldn't help but notice the look of grim resignation on her C.O.'s face.

"Sir?"

"Ah crap."

Jack slumped back against the wall of her lab and slid slowly down it to sit the floor. Legs bent, he rested his arms on his knees and leant his head back, rocking it side to side with his eyes closed.

"Sir? What is it? Daniel said it was a variant of an amplification device he has been researching. Is that wrong?"

Jack shook his head and ran his fingers through his almost thinning hair.

_'Oh, the perks of Command…'_

"Carter…did he translate it first?"

The guilty look on her face gave him his answer.

"I'll take that as a no…so, what on Earth possessed you to touch it?"

Sam swallowed nervously before answering. "I wanted to see if it would work."

Dropping his head into his hands, Jack laughed caustically. "Oh it worked, Carter. It worked."

"You're assuming that the energy wave expelled had any actual effect—"

"Carter!" Jack bellowed to interrupt her scientific tirade.

"Sir?" She couldn't understand why he seemed so unnerved at her actions. This wasn't the first time this type of thing had happened.

"Oh, yes, it is." Jack chuckled aloud.

"What did you say?" Sam stared at him as she realized he had answered her internal thoughts. Jack raised his head to glare straight at her.

"Carter, or should I call you Sam, since I know you prefer it? You activated that thing as I walked in the room. I was hoping to stop you, but Danny was a bit longwinded in his explanation and well – "

He waved a hand, " - here we are."

"Sir, I'm not sure I'm following you. You mean you can read my thoughts?" She inquired, puzzlement and worry evident in her voice.

He nodded. After a few moments silence as she absorbed the shocking information, she asked, "can I read yours?"

Jack allowed his gaze meet hers before letting it slide slowly and deliberately down her body to her standard issue combat boots.

"You think my boots are sexy?" Sam gasped, staring at him like he had grown another nose.

Jack simply raised an eyebrow, then watched in satisfaction as the crimson blush of embarrassment stained her cheeks.

"Sir!" She chastised, but then desperately refocusing her thoughts to something neutral and safe, stated, "We have to fix this. Now!"

There was a definite note of panic in her voice.

"Yeah. But until then we could—"

Waving her finger at him like an annoyed schoolteacher, Sam cut him off. "No sir, we can't! Now, if you know how to reverse this, you should do it. Fast!"

_'Preferably before I think anything embarrassing.'_

Jack grinned. "Ah, come on Carter, think of the fun we could have with this! Daniel would have a fit if we didn't at least try it out."

With a loud and slightly perturbed sigh, Sam struggled not to think of something she might regret, when the overhead lights suddenly flickered and blinked out as an announcement blared through the intercom.

"General O'Neill to the Control Room!"

Sam had never been more grateful for Sergeant Harriman's voice than right then.

_'Thank god! Saved by the Sergeant!'_

"Carter, I'm hurt." Jack whined. "Really, it could be worse."

She knew she would regret asking but she did anyway. "How so?"

"You could have been stuck with Daniel." Jack grinned wickedly as he left the lab.

Watching him leave, she thought to herself, _'How could that possibly be worse?'_

A quiet yet somewhat devious laugh accompanied the internal reply from her C.O.

_'He's had a secret crush on you for years...'_

o0o

It took only twenty minutes for the Asgard to successfully reverse the effects the Ancient device had caused. After a stern reprimand for playing with technology they didn't understand, they took the device away with them, not wanting to risk the chance that such an incident might reoccur. Though Jack had a sneaking suspicion that they just wanted to have a go with it themselves.

"So, Jack, what did the device do, anyway?" Daniel asked, sitting at the conference table in the briefing room with the other members of SG1.

"Nothing." Both Jack and Sam answered in unison.

"Oh? Huh, then why were they so annoyed with you for turning it on?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders and replied nonchalantly, "Beats me. Besides, Sam turned it on, not me."

"Sam?" Daniel's voice raised a notch as his eyebrows waggled in curiosity.

With a smirk at Sam, Jack answered, "That is her name."

"Indeed it is, O'Neill." Teal'c stated with a nod of his head.

"So, Sam. Are YOU going to tell me what happened?" Daniel redirected to his friend sitting across from him, resolutely avoiding his gaze.

"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all." She lied. Standing to her feet, she glanced at Jack before quickly looking away again. "Sir, with your permission, I'd like to finish up those reports for you".

"Sure thing, Carter." He waved her off with his hand and grinned at the speed of her departure.

"Jack, are you going to tell me what the heck happened in that lab?" Daniel questioned angrily.

Jack pushed away from the table and rose to his feet, glancing briefly at Teal'c before turning to enter his office.

"Nope!" Came the retort from over his shoulder.

"Ja-ack." Was the last thing heard as the now triumphant Jack O'Neill shut the door to his office.

As he sat down in the large leather chair behind his desk, he could still hear in his head, the distinctly feminine voice from earlier, repeating itself.

'Don't look, don't look, just don't look...'

Guess that explained all the times he had found himself lounging around offworld, watching curiously as Sam Carter bit her lip with her eyes closed.

He'd have to remember to sit like that more often.

**End.**


End file.
